1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bandage for the application of therapeutic treatments to injuries; and more specifically, to a bandage useful for applying heat or cold treatments to a specific portion of the body.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well known that the application of heat or cold therapies provides effective relief for muscle and joint injuries. When properly applied, heat and cold treatments provide effective relief from sprains, strains, bruises, muscle trauma, and other injuries to the body. Generally, a patient seeking to apply such treatments will place ice bags, cold compresses or pads comprised of folded cloth containing ice or heat packs on injured body areas. Typically, these devices are held in place by means such as adhesive tapes, tying gauze strips or surgical dressings or by merely having the patient lie on or sit next to such compresses so that cold or heat may reach injury areas. Inasmuch as these treatments provide relief to the patient, they cause the patient to suffer from cold hands, dripping containers, tape removal, repetitive applications, immobility or the like associated with the application of such therapies. Moreover, these bandages tend to not remain in place during vigorous activity.
Numerous cylindrical type wrap configurations have been proposed in the prior art for applying heat and cold treatments to an injured body part. In some instances, these devices are open ended and may be adjusted for use by virtue of fastening means on one end thereof. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,065,738, describes a cold pack for treating an injury in which a cooling media, such as Blue Ice, is encased in elongate plastic closed end cylinders and inserted in parallel pockets formed in a wrapper, e.g., made of cloth with the interconnecting cloth material forming flexible hinges between the cylinders. Straps provided on the wrap enable the application of the pre-chilled cold pack to be applied to the injured area of a person. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 5,304,216 describes an ice pack apparatus with a flexible base web and having a polymeric foam web connected to a bottom surface of the base web with at least one refrigerant housing mounted to a top surface of the base web positioned over the foam web. The base web structure is formed of various lengths and has a fastener structure arranged at opposed ends of the base web to secure the structure around various appendage portions of the body. U.S. Pat. No. 3,900,035 discloses an elastic bandage having spaced, transverse pockets permanently affixed to one end of the bandage which are configured to allow elastic flexible bags to be inserted therein. The bags are constructed of latex or a similar material and filled with anti-freeze coolant solution or a heat retaining agent. In practice, the pocketed end of the bandage is wrapped about a limb and the remainder of the bandage is wrapped around the pockets to provide support and insulation. The bandage is useful, for example, to treat ankle or joint injuries in humans and animals.
In other instances, the cylindrical-shaped device may be of a continuous configuration. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 5,466,251 describes a therapeutic elastic sleeve which is formed from a wide sheet of elastic material that is permanently attached to the sides of an ice pack or other appropriate heat or coolant container. The elastic portion of the sleeve can be stretched to allow the sleeve to slip over the patient""s limb and align the container with the area to be treated. The elasticity of the sleeve causes it to conform to the shape of the limb, which provides structural support to the limb and also prevents the sleeve from riding up or down, or telescoping on the limb.
In yet other instances, the device is specifically designed to treat a particular body part. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,190,054 there is described an elastic bandage designed to support the face after cosmetic surgery. Openings are provided at strategic locations, such as the top of the head and adjacent to the back of the neck, in order to permit the bandage to be secured around the face of a user. These openings are provided with suitable fastening means such as VELCRO(copyright) strips, to close the bandage around the face. The bandage incorporates a number of attachment points over the surface thereof for attachment of specifically designed attachable envelopes containing a heatable or coolable fluid therein which are secured to the bandage via complementary VELCRO(copyright) strips on the outside of the bandage and on one side of the envelope. The bandage permits application of heat or cold treatment without removing the bandage from the face part.
None of these prior art configurations provides therapeutic effectiveness together with ease of use and mobility. What is needed is a device which can be used to supply heat and cold therapies and which affords complete mobility to its users. Such a device should be readily adapted for use in the treatment of traumatic injuries to various body regions and should not require removal after positioning.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a bandage capable of being wrapped around a body part comprising a flexible central web being generally annular in shape; and at least one pouch affixed to the central web, wherein the pouch contains a removable temperature transference source, such as refrigerant or heat, therein. Preferably, the pouch is removably affixed to the central web. The bandage may be readily adapted for the treatment of swelling, for use during postoperative surgeries or traumatic insults to various body regions, including but not limited to chest, torso, legs, arms, wrists, shoulder, head and neck, knees, thighs, ankles, jaw, chin, lower back, knee thigh and shoulder and the like.
Generally stated, the bandage has upper and lower horizontal edges and has a continuous, generally annular configuration. The bandage may be made of flexible cloth or plastic material, preferably an elastic cloth material. Pouches for the storage of cold or heat packs also made of pieces of flexible cloth or plastic material, may be fixedly or removably attached to the outside surface of the wrap structure device by fastener attachments such as VELCRO(copyright), clips, hooks, and the like. In a preferred embodiment of the bandage, the attachment of the pouches to the wrap structure is such that the flexible cloth material is brought into direct contact with the area of the body appointed to be cooled (or heated) thereby. The pouches may be attached to the bandage either in single or multiple rows aligned parallel to the horizontal edges of the device. Optionally, the pouches may be insulated with waterproof materials, e.g., plastic, mesh, etc. to prevent leakage and may also comprise closing means such as flaps, zippers, snaps and the like to prevent cold or heat packs from falling out.
In operation, the patient inserts pre-frozen ice or heat packs into the pouches, and the bandage is secured around the injured body area. The bandage may be adjusted for individual size and comfort to achieve the most effective use without slackness or tightness. Preferably, arrangement of the pouches on the bandage is such that the cloth or other material providing for maximum temperature transference is placed in direct contact with the body part appointed to be cooled (or heated) thereby. The bandage may be produced in a variety of adult and child sizes, lengths and widths for adaptation to particular body types, injuries and for greater user comfort.
Advantageously, the bandage of the present invention offers the patient mobility for other matters by eliminating the manually burdensome need to hold cold or heat packs to injuries as well as the need for frequent changes of such packs. That is, patients may make facile pack changes with or without having to take off or substantially remove the bandage once it is wrapped around the injury area. Moreover, the bandage of the present invention is configured so that it stays in position during and after vigorous activity. As such, the present invention may be readily adapted for use in the treatment of a myriad of traumatic insults to various body regions, after post-operative surgeries and even to provide comfort in common colds and fevers.
In another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for the application of the bandage to provide therapeutic cold or heat treatments which enables users to attend to injuries without repetitive ice or heat pack changes. This method advantageously eliminates frequent manual administration of such packs to injury areas and resulting inconveniences, such as dripping bags or containers and bandage removals.